


Rule Number Four

by Angelikah



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Auror!Caroline, F/M, Fake Marriage, Hit Wizard!Klaus, Sharing a Bed, Sort Of, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 05:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13229142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelikah/pseuds/Angelikah
Summary: Caroline's latest auror mission is going undercover with her partner as a married couple in order to identify who tortured the muggle family in the neighboring town. It's all business as usual until her partner Enzo decides to use his vacation days during the mission. The ministry hires a hit wizard to take his place. Unfortunately, Caroline has hated said hit wizard since their fourth year at Hogwarts, and she has no intention of letting that change.There are four rules that Caroline and Klaus set for themselves:1. No touching unless it's absolutely necessary2. No stealing the covers3. Clean up after yourself like a decent human4. Don't fall in love.Simple, right?





	Rule Number Four

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princessoftheworlds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessoftheworlds/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy this Nik! You're the sweetest person, and this fandom is so lucky to have you. I know that I said I was doing the HP bodyguard au, but it was giving me a little bit of trouble, so I wrote this last night. Hopefully I can revise this a bit later and make it more readable (what is this ending, even). I'm sorry for its current state.   
> Thank you to Melissa, Ravyn & Kelly for enduring my whining and stressing about what to write. You guys are the best.

“I am never going to forgive you for this. You know that right?”

“He’s really not that bad, gorgeous.”

“Um, he’s the actual worst,” Caroline said, glaring at who was  _ supposed to be  _ her auror partner but had now shown his true colors as the worst kind of traitor. “This is a high risk mission and you expect me to believe  _ Klaus Mikaelson _ would have my back if this goes wrong?”

“I think you can handle two weeks without a disaster, Caroline.”

“A two week undercover mission where we have to pretend to be  _ married. _ Literally, I’d rather die of dragonpox.”

“I don’t understand why you hate him so much.”

“I told you this. When we were in fourth year--”

“You were  _ fourteen _ , Caroline.”

“Yeah, and it’s been less than a decade. I need time,” she said irritably, knowing that objectively she was being completely ridiculous, but all she could see whenever she was reminded of it was his jerky smug smirk and the blurring of her vision before she ran out of the Great Hall so that no one would see her cry. 

“I think you’re being a little unreasonable.”

“He’s not even an auror, Enzo!”

“Yes, he’s a hit wizard. So, if you think about it, you’ll be even safer.”

“That’s not the point. Hit wizards don’t have any loyalty to the ministry. He’s here for a paycheck. As long as we finish the mission he has literally zero reason to make sure I come out of it alive. In fact, he hates me as much as I hate him, so he has negative reasons.”

“Now, love... We had a little spat, it’s true, but I’ve gotten over it.”

Caroline froze, her teeth gritting, and she turned slowly to face Klaus, who was leaning against the doorway like he fucking owned the place. He was dressed simply in a muggle henley and jeans, the fabric stretching over his lean chest and clinging to his legs in a way that would have been incredibly hot on anyone who wasn’t such an asshole. She could feel her wand vibrating in her hand as it spat sparks, her nails biting into her palms as she tried to resist the urge to hex him outright. 

“Well, that’s nice for you. Congratulations,” she bit out.

He pushed off the side of the doorframe in a smooth movement his heavy boots somehow silent on the ground as he took a few steps towards them, the way he moved somehow predatory despite the casual strides, and she let her feet root to the floor, refusing to cringe back. He reached out to shake Enzo’s hand before turning to face her, sticking his hands in his pockets and giving her a cursory up-and-down glance that made her skin flush with anger. “Good to see you, sweetheart. You look lovely.”

“Make one more comment about how I look and I’ll report you to HR,” she muttered, flipping her hair over her shoulder and crossing her arms over her chest. 

“My apologies,” he said, holding up his hands in what was clearly supposed to look like a gesture of surrender, though she caught a glimpse of the leather wand holster strapped to his wrist from the movement. “I simply thought that we should be trying to be a bit nicer to each other, considering our assignment.”

Her hand twitched as she fought not to raise her wand and curse him with something particularly creative (she had no interest in getting fired, and loathe as she was to admit it, hit wizards were the best duelists in the world and he could  _ probably  _ kick her ass if he tried), and Enzo cut in before she could do something stupid. “So, I’ll be out for the next two weeks, but Bonnie’s here if you need backup.”

“Joy,” Klaus muttered, and Caroline glared at him.

“Don’t be a dick.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he said with a gleamingly false smile, his tone saccharine.

“Well, I see this is off to a smashing start,” Enzo said, picking up his bag and hauling it over his shoulder. “You’re picking up your portkeys from Ric in about half an hour. You’re both packed, yeah?”

Caroline and Klaus both muttered an affirmative, and Enzo sighed. “Don’t murder each other, all right?”

“He’s not worth Azkaban,” Caroline said, ignoring Klaus’s rather dramatic eyeroll.

“Not to worry, St. John, Caroline’s quite safe with me.”

Enzo nodded, giving Caroline a last wary glance before checking his watch and making his way out, and Caroline did a quick check to make sure they were alone before whirling on Klaus.

“Listen, buddy,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed. “I’m up for a promotion, so you’d better not screw this up for me. I know how to make your life a living hell, and I one-hundred percent will if you ruin this.”

“Got it, love.”

“I have ground rules,” she continued, ignoring Klaus’s snort of derision. “Rule number one: No touching unless we’re in public and it would look weird if we weren’t. Rule number two: If you steal the covers or snore, I will hex you. Rule number three: Be a decent roommate or I  _ will  _ kill you in your sleep. That means washing your dishes, picking up your clothes, and generally not making me live in filth. They teach cleaning charms in first year. It’s not hard.”

“I’m assuming Lorenzo wasn’t the easiest to work with in the beginning?” Klaus asked dryly, and Caroline barely stopped herself from reassuring him that it had taken a good two years to fully train her partner to not leave his fucking  _ socks  _ everywhere.

“Lorenzo is an angel who is ten times the partner you’ll ever be,” Caroline said, and Klaus shook his head.

“Whatever you say, love.”

“That’s the idea,” she muttered, checking her watch and picking up her suitcase. “It’s almost time to take the portkey.”

She had almost made it to the door when Klaus called after her. “Caroline?”

“Yeah?” she asked irritably, turning to face him.

“What about my ground rule?”

She wrinkled her nose. “What?”

“Rule number four: Don’t fall in love with me, yeah?”

Her lip curled. “Yeah...that’s not going to be a problem.”

“Good.” He gave her a dimpled smirk and gestured to the hallway. “Ladies’ first.”

* * *

 

Caroline groaned as she pushed herself up from the hardwood floor where the portkey had taken her, bristling at Klaus’s chuckle from above her. She glared up at him, ignoring the hand he offered her to help her up and clambering to her feet, her legs still feeling slightly wobbly from the portkey travel. 

“All right, love?”

“Fine,” she muttered, fingercombing her hair and looking around the well-decorated living room. “This is nice.”

Klaus hummed in agreement, sitting down on the squishy-looking leather couch across from the television set and setting his feet on the coffee table, leaning back against the cushions. Alaric had given them temporary glamours before they left to conceal their identities, and it was really weird seeing Klaus with a beard, his eyes changed to brown. The wickedness in his eyes didn’t feel the same somehow. His eyes seemed to linger on her face as well, and she shifted self-consciously, feeling a little like she was under a microscope.

“I’m going to go find my bedroom.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You mean our bedroom, love?”

“Whatever,” she muttered, thankful for the featherlight charm on her suitcase making it easier to walk quickly down the hallway. She checked a few doors (bathroom, kitchen, and some sort of study) before arriving at the last one, which was clearly the bedroom. 

She sighed in relief when she walked in and saw that the bed was absolutely massive, which meant that she and Klaus could easily have enough space to spread out and not end up touching. She had a tendency to seek warmth in her sleep, Enzo having complained more than once about her sleep-cuddling and ice cold feet, and she hoped that from the three feet between them she wouldn’t end up accidentally snuggling into Klaus’s arms.

Wouldn’t _ that _ be humiliating.

She unpacked all of her clothes before ducking into the bathroom, flinching when she saw her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands, the unfamiliar red hair and green eyes startling when she looked at herself. She tore her eyes away, walking out and closing the door behind her. “Do you want to order in? Ministry’s dime, after all,” Klaus asked, and she gathered herself, refusing to let him see her so uneasy. 

“Spending taxpayer money on take-out is wasteful,” she muttered, though she took the menu from him anyway, scanning it before deciding on potstickers and sesame chicken, telling him her order as she handed it back and settling against the couch cushions as far away from him as she could get. She watched as he dialed the number on the menu, a bit taken aback by how easily he operated the muggle phone, waiting until he hung up before speaking.

“So.”

“Yes, love?”

“What’s the plan?”

“Don’t you have one?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, and she shrugged. 

“I mean, the mission is basically just to find out who tortured those muggles, so I guess I’d say that we should put listening charms in the houses of the wizards and witches who live in town---Ric sent us with a list---and then have dicto-quills write down everything that they pick up. We’ll go over them every night and see what we can find.”

He rolled his shoulders, seeming to consider her answer for a moment before shrugging. “Seems like a good place to start.”

She was a little taken aback at his easy agreement, but she decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was her mission, after all. He was just filling in. Maybe he’d decided to be professional for once in his life.

Klaus turned on the television without another word, flipping through channels before settling on a muggle sport, his eyes eagerly following the ball as the players kicked it around the field. She was about to point out that she should get some input on what they watched as well when the doorbell rang. 

“That was fast,” she muttered, standing up, and she glanced through the peephole to see a young woman about her age in a puffy pink jacket holding a glass dish.

Caroline opened the door. “Hi,” she said, trying not to sound too suspicious, ready to bring out her wand with a flick of her wrist.

“Hi! My name is Camille. I live next door! I saw that there was a move-in van here yesterday, so I brought a casserole.”

“Um, thanks,” Caroline said, taking the dish from Camille. “Do you want to come in?” she asked hesitantly, and Camille shook her head.

“Sorry, I can’t right now. I’m just popping by on the way to pick up my niece from school.”

“Oh, okay,” Caroline said, a little relieved that she didn’t have to fall into the role of Klaus’s wife just yet. “Well, have a good--”

“You should totally come to our Christmas party next week, though! My husband holds it every year at our place. His parents own a logging company, so the house is kind of big. It’s at 2 o’clock on Sunday.”

“We’d love to,” Klaus said from behind her, almost making her jump in surprise.

She watched as Camille gave Klaus a quick appreciative glance. “Great! Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name?”

“Joseph,” he said easily, his dimples cutting into his cheeks as he gave Camille a charming smile, and Caroline tried to look natural as Klaus slid an arm around her waist, his palm settling against her hip. She shifted as his thumb snuck under the hem of her top, stroking the skin of her waist. “This is Candice, my wife.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Camille said. “Well, anyway, you guys should come!”

“2 o’clock on Sunday!” Caroline repeated with as cheery a smile as she could muster. “It was so nice to meet you, Camille.”

“You too! Bye!”

Caroline’s smile was frozen on her face until she shut the door, shivering as Klaus’s hand ghosted along her waist in a way that seemed completely deliberate before his arm fell away. She swallowed audibly, trying to be subtle as she took a step away from him and turned towards the kitchen, hurrying to get a glass of water, but she doubted it had looked at all casual.

Something about the simple contact of Klaus’s thumb against her skin had shaken her, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Whatever. All she had to do was get through this stupid mission, and she’d never have to see him again.

* * *

 

Caroline groaned softly from the unwelcome light against her eyelids as she shifted in the bed, her pillow too comfortably warm for her to contemplate disentangling herself. 

And then her pillow let out a soft rumble, shifting underneath her.

Her eyes flew open, and she took a sharp breath as she realized that her cheek was settled against Klaus’s chest, his heartbeat thumping rhythmically in her ear. She tried not to make any sudden movements, carefully ducking out from under his arm and back out of the bed as slowly as possible, watching with relief as Klaus let out a soft groan and rolled over.

Crisis averted.

She ran a hand through her hair, her heart still pounding from the adrenaline of almost being caught snuggling up to literally the  _ worst person ever _ (okay, maybe not  _ ever _ , but definitely in her graduating class). Her skin felt tingly, her nipples tight underneath her camisole, and she nearly groaned. Sure, it had nothing to do with her feelings or brain, obviously. It was perfectly understandable. She hadn’t had sex in what felt like forever, and despite how much she hated Klaus, she had to admit that he was attractive.

More on the ‘hot’ end of the scale, even with the beard and eye glamour (which, honestly, was  _ so  _ unfair).

She decided that a shower was in order, and she slipped out of the bedroom on light feet, letting the bathroom steam up before stepping under the spray, stretching as the hot water pounded against her back. It felt amazing, and she sighed in contentment, pressing her forehead against the cool tiles.

After a few minutes she managed to gather herself enough to actually go through the motions, lathering her hair and rinsing it before working the conditioner through her now-red curls, trying to ignore how weird the shade looked against her hand. She let herself linger for a few more minutes, only turning off the water when her fingers started to prune, and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, swearing under her breath when she realized that she’d forgotten to take clothes in with her.

Luckily, Klaus wasn’t in their room when she tiptoed back in, and in the middle of toweling her hair dry she froze, closing her eyes as she caught the scent of bacon wafting from the kitchen. She dressed quickly, waving her wand to detangle and dry her hair before pulling it up into a ponytail, the hair tie still held between her teeth as she walked into the kitchen, smoothing the hair down against her head.

She swallowed audibly at the sight of Klaus’s bare back as he looked out the window with a mug of tea, a spatula flipping bacon on the stove without assistance. There was a triangle tattoo that he most definitely hadn’t had back at Hogwarts (she’d seen him shirtless a handful of times in the Quidditch locker room), and she licked her lips without thinking about it, wondering how his skin would taste under her tongue...

She mentally shook herself, trying to figure out where the fuck  _ that  _ came from, and she quickly looked away when he met her eyes, his lips quirking.

“Morning, love.”

“Hi,” she muttered, thankful that her voice didn’t come out as breathless as her lungs felt.

“Sleep well?” he asked, and she flushed. His expression was innocent, and she could almost believe that he didn’t know she’d woken up snuggled against him if it wasn’t for the tiniest glint of laughter in his eyes. Still, she decided that plausible deniability was the way to go and shrugged, walking to the coffee maker.

“Yeah. Fine. Did you make coffee?”

“Afraid not. Can’t stand it.”

She busied herself with the coffeemaker, grumpy at her lack of caffiene, and she could feel his eyes on her as she moved. “You’re staring,” she muttered, and he chuckled.

“Sorry, love. Couldn’t resist.”

She was suddenly reminded of how much she hated his arrogant ass, and she nearly growled, slamming the lid of the coffee maker a bit harder than necessary. “Don’t,” she bit out, glaring at him.

He met her eyes without any hesitation, bringing his tea to his lips as though he’d said the most normal thing in the world. “Just admiring my wife.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You’re honestly disgusting. Did you know that?”

“I’ve been told a few times, usually by you,” he said dryly, and she gave him a humorless smile.

“Well, maybe you should take a hint.”

“It’s hardly a hint if you say it outright.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So, I was thinking that we could each try to set a few listening charms on one or two of the suspects’ houses today. Is that okay with you?”

He nodded, still watching her with those annoyingly perceptive eyes, and she averted her gaze, glaring at the coffeemaker and willing it to go faster. 

“I’ll take the Parkers, the Petrovas, and the Salvatores if you do the St. Claires, the de Martels, and the Martins?”

“Sounds like a plan, love.”

She bristled, resisting the urge to scold him for petnames and instead grabbing a mug from the cabinet as the coffee-maker beeped and putting some cold tap water in before filling the rest with coffee, Klaus watching her with barely concealed disgust. “What?” she asked irritably.

“Coffee,” he muttered, as though the word explained everything. “Honestly...”

She glared at him, chugging the entire cup and turning to pour more tap water in before filling it again and walking out of the kitchen, ignoring his chuckle behind her.

She took a deep breath. Just thirteen more days. It wasn’t that long. She could survive thirteen more days, right?

* * *

 

Caroline nearly groaned as she woke up, yet again, in Klaus’s arms. He hadn’t mentioned anything yet, and she figured that if he had known he would have by now just to give her shit about it. She was lucky that he seemed to be such a heavy sleeper, and she’d had to stop herself from lingering in his arms just because of how comfortable it was, hating herself for even having the temptation.

It was the fifth day and they’d fallen into a routine. Caroline would get up and shower, Klaus making breakfast, coffee, and tea while she was occupied. She’d check to see if the dicto-quills from the listening charms they’d planted had caught anything overnight while he showered, and then they’d sit in the living room together and keep an eye on the listening charms while they amused themselves in a comfortable silence. Klaus had brought some sort of sketchbook and sat on the couch with it, occasionally watching a ‘football’ game if it was on. Caroline would scroll through Snidget, one of the wizarding social media sites (though she couldn’t post anything while undercover), or watch whatever muggle television show was on if it looked interesting. 

They had lunch together, and she’d reluctantly begun to have full conversations with Klaus, at first justifying it because she had nothing else to do, and then finally admitting to herself that he was actually an acceptable person when he wasn’t either being a disgusting flirt or a huge snob. She convinced him to tell her a few stories from his hit wizard jobs and she found them fascinating, the culture around the profession so different from aurors that it was almost hard to wrap her mind around. Because they weren’t employed by the government unless they were working as short-term contractors, hit wizards had a lot more wiggle room with legality of magic, and they didn’t have as much to worry about if the Prophet got wind of them fighting dirty. He’d also hinted that he’d had a few jobs that weren’t quite legal, and though she burned with curiosity she knew that she shouldn’t open that can of flobberworms. 

The morning passed relatively quickly despite nothing of note happening with the dicto-quills. The muggle television was having some sort of marathon where they showed all the episodes of a reality show called ‘Big Brother’ in order. Caroline found herself fascinated by these muggles who were willing to lock themselves together in a house and do pointless challenges for money. And they were all so  _ dramatic _ . Like, she thought she had been a nightmare as a teenager, but she had nothing on these people (who were actual adults, too).

She made them sandwiches for lunch, and she was all ready to poke Klaus for more stories to pass the time when he gave her a piercing look that made her spine straighten. “What have you been up to since graduation then, love?”

“Nothing really,” she said, shrugging. “Auror school. I got an apartment and a crup, too. His name is Tyler and he’s super adorable. Bonnie’s watching him while I’m away.”

Klaus’s lips twitched. “Sounds nice.”

She shrugged. “I mean, it’s okay. Work is really busy, obviously, so at least I have things to do.”

“I suppose,” he said, taking a bite of his sandwich and chewing thoughtfully, and she nearly choked on hers at his next words. “Seeing anyone?”

“What?” she choked out after swallowing.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he repeated. 

“None of your business,” she said, irritation swelling within her. 

“Just wondering,” he said, and his casualness made her bristle, her nose wrinkling.

“God, I was actually starting to like you and you ruined it,” she muttered, though there was no real bite to her tone, and she only realized what she’d said when she saw Klaus’s face.

“Beg pardon, love?” he asked, his lips curling into a slow smile, and she gritted her teeth.

“Don’t. Seriously.”

“No, I think I heard that you’re getting a bit more fond of me.”

“Stockholm syndrome,” she muttered, taking another bite of his sandwich and refusing to meet his eyes, and he laughed.

“Whatever you say, love.”

She felt her cheeks going red, and she took a sip of ice water hoping to cool down. It didn’t work, and she finished the rest of her sandwich quickly before muttering that she was taking a walk. She knew she was being entirely unsubtle, but she didn’t like the way he looked at her, like he  _ knew  _ what was going on inside of her mind, the indecision she was facing.

She’d promised herself that she’d hate him forever after what he’d said about her. Sure, it was incredibly stupid and petty, and honestly she’d gossiped about worse, but s he still remembered the humiliation of walking into the Great Hall and having everyone’s eyes swivel to look at her, the whispers passing through the hall. 

She knew that she’d changed a lot since she was a teenager and Klaus obviously had too, but that didn’t mean that she’d forgiven him, or even that she had to. Sure, he was charming and funny and hot, but he was also kind of an asshole and really smug and arrogant. He was a hit wizard who dabbled on the wrong side of the legal line, and he was  _ dangerous _ . Every move he made screamed ‘bad idea’ in capital letters. And yet...

She remembered his face less than a week ago, the way his dimples cut into his cheeks as he smirked at her, the words that he spoke before she left in a huff.

_ Don’t fall in love with me, yeah? _

She wasn’t in love with him. Not even close. But she was starting to see his good qualities, the few that he had anyway, and it was super inconvenient.

She grumpily kicked a pebble down the sidewalk. 

_ Don’t fall in love with me. _

God fucking damnit...

* * *

 

“This is our chance to see if any of the wizards in the town aren’t muggle-friendly,” Caroline said as she stuck earrings through her lobes and reached for her lipstick. She heard Klaus say something through the doorway but didn’t catch it, and once she was done touching up her make-up she stuck her head out.

“What?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat when she saw Klaus with his shirt half-buttoned, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, necklaces resting against his chest.

His lips were moving, but she didn’t quite process what he said, and she closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Sorry, say that again?”

“I said that I’m sure it’ll be relatively simple to discern anyone with anti-muggle leanings. We’ll simply act like we hold the same values,” he repeated, and she fought down a blush at the note of laughter in his voice, nodding. It was a good idea even if the idea of acting even slightly like a blood-supremacist made her stomach twist. 

“Okay. When do you think you’ll be ready?” 

“Just a moment,” he said, turning back to the mirror by the dresser and finishing buttoning up his shirt before turning back to her. She crossed over without thinking about it and fixed his collar, her hands sliding down his chest and lingering for a moment before she pulled away. 

He watched her with slightly parted lips and dark eyes, and she felt a heady rush of satisfaction that he was clearly as into her as she was into him. His eyes dragged up and down her body, drinking in her cocktail dress and heels before flicking up to linger on her face, darting down to her lips for just a moment. She knew that she should probably feel objectified, but instead it felt...oddly empowering.

“You look beautiful,” he said, and she wasn’t sure whether he realized that the words had come out of his mouth.

“Thanks,” she said lightly, stepping away and glancing at the bedroom door. “Ready to go?”

He nodded, and they walked downstairs together, Klaus helping her into her coat and holding open the door for her. As soon as they walked outside, his hand was pressed to the small of her back, guiding her to the house next door, which Camille had indicated to as being hers.

Caroline knocked, pasting on her best smile, and Camille opened the door almost immediately, standing aside to let them in. “Candice! Joseph! It’s good to see you,” she said, pulling them each into a warm hug, her hand lingering for just a bit too long on Klaus’s back in a way that made Caroline’s eye twitch.

“Nice to see you too,” she cut in, her hand wrapping possessively around Klaus’s bicep. “Why don’t you introduce us to your  _ husband _ .”

Camille flushed slightly, clearly realizing she’d been caught out, and gave Caroline a sheepish smile before leading them through the house, pointing out a lanky man with piercing blue eyes and a smarmy smile who looked like he probably had a fedora collection. “This is Damon,” she said, and Caroline gave him as warm a smile as she could muster, noting how disgusting she felt when he looked at her.

“Pleasure,” Damon said, bringing Caroline’s knuckles to his lips, and she saw Klaus twitch beside her as though he was ready to pull out his wand. “Candice, I assume?”

“Yes, and this is Joseph,” Caroline introduced, watching as Damon and Klaus had some sort of macho stare-off while they shook hands. She exchanged an exasperated ‘ _ ugh, men _ ’ look with Camille before Klaus offered to get her a drink.

She, Damon, and Camille made small talk, chatting about the town and what sorts of events were held, and Caroline finally found a natural time to sneak in a question about the muggles when Camille talked about the annual food drive they ran for the muggle neighborhood nearby.

“You know, while Joseph and I were thinking of moving in we saw a newspaper article about someone torturing a family nearby,” Caroline said quietly, trying to keep her tone neutral.

She saw Damon’s eyes flash with surprise at her words, though Camille just sighed, looking genuinely sad. “It was awful. I just...those poor people. It’s not their fault they don’t have any magic. I can’t imagine what kind of person would do something like that.”

“We can’t spend all our time being sad for other people, Cami,” Damon said, rubbing her back, though there was something in his faux-sympathetic drawl that set Caroline on edge. “You’re too nice for your own good.”

Honestly, if this was Camille’s husband she understood why her mind was on literally anyone else.

Oddly, Camille didn’t seem to find his comment condescending, instead giving him a soft smile, one that viscerally gave Caroline the impression of watching Red Riding Hood unknowingly looking into the eyes of a wolf, and she felt a bit sick. She was about to try to casually press Damon for more details when Camille huffed, rolling her eyes. “Ugh. God, again?” she muttered, and Caroline followed Camille’s line of vision to see Klaus by the buffet table talking to a brunette. Though he’d look relaxed to anyone else, Caroline had learned to read Klaus’s posture through their seven years at school together and then the past week living in the same house, and she could tell that he was tense. 

“Who’s that?” Caroline asked, trying not to sound too irritated, and Camille sighed.

“Sorry,” Camille said to Caroline. “Hayley’s kind of a flirt, especially when she’s had a few drinks. I’m not actually sure that she knows it to be honest. I think she genuinely just thinks she’s being nice.”

Caroline had only known Damon for about five minutes and was already loathe to agree with him on anything, but he seemed to have a point about Camille thinking the best of everyone. 

“Please excuse me,” Caroline muttered, figuring it would be out of character to not go ‘rescue’ her ‘husband’.

She wasn’t jealous at all.

Actually, she was past the point of denial, she decided. She was totally jealous.

“Joseph,” she called as she walked over, and she nearly laughed at how relieved Klaus looked when she arrived. She was about to ask for an introduction when he bent to brush his lips against hers, his stubble lightly scratching her cheek as he pulled away before she could respond. 

“Hello, sweetheart. I was just talking to...Hallie? Was it?”

“Hayley,” the girl corrected, an icy smile on her face as she glanced at Caroline. 

“I’m Candice,” Caroline said quickly, sticking out her hand for Hayley to shake. “Joseph’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hayley said, and Caroline gave her an icy smile. 

“You too,” she said, turning to Klaus, who handed her a glass of champagne. “Ready to meet more of our new neighbors?” she asked brightly, and Klaus knocked back an entire glass of champagne in one go, setting it on a nearby waiter’s tray.

“If we must.”

It felt like forever before they managed to get back to their house, and Caroline groaned when she realized it was approaching two in the morning. She was barely awake enough to take off her makeup before falling into bed, and she was almost asleep when Klaus spoke.

“You were jealous.”

“Yep,” she muttered, too tired to argue.

“Why?”

“I like you,” she said, resisting the urge to tack on ‘ _ you idiot’ _ .

There was a long enough pause before Klaus spoke that she almost regretted saying it out loud. “I fancy you as well.”

“Okay. Good. Glad we’re clear.”

“Dinner when we get back, then?”

She nearly laughed at how weirdly hopeful he sounded. “Yeah. Just like...prove to me that you’re not a shit person, okay?”

“I’m not a shit person,” he said, so clearly offended that this time she did laugh.

“Fine. You’re not nice, though.”

“You’re right, and I doubt I’ll change. Will that be a problem?”

She mulled it over for a second. “No. It’s actually kind of hot. In moderation.”

“Hot?” he asked, clearly amused.

“Yeah. When you leaned against the doorframe at my office I kind of wanted to jump you. Just saying.”

He laughed, and she felt his hand rest on her waist, the touch making her skin burn. “I wouldn’t say no.”

“Neither would I, but I’m tired, and I pictured doing it when we were much more awake.”

“You’ve thought about us before, then?” he asked, his tone so smug that she kind of wanted to punch him.

“Klaus, it’s like three in the morning. Can we not have this conversation right now?”

“Tomorrow, then.”

She groaned, almost sure that the conversation had been a dream, considering that Klaus didn’t seem like the sort of person who was very forthright with his feelings. “Yes. Sure. Tomorrow. Goodnight.”

He chuckled, the sound sending a warmth through her that made her grin in spite of herself. “Goodnight, Caroline.”

* * *

 

“Good morning, love,” Klaus murmured, and Caroline’s eyes flew open, her breath catching when she realized that she was securely in Klaus’s arms, their legs tangled together (as usual), but he was awake.

“Hi,” she squeaked. “Sorry, um, can you--”

“You wake up every morning in this position, sweetheart. I don’t know why you’re surprised,” he said, and she flushed bright red.

“I thought you were asleep,” she muttered, only realizing when she heard herself say the words how silly the explanation sounded, and Klaus laughed quietly.

“It’s possible that I may have wanted an excuse,” he said, flashing the same smug, dimpled grin that he always did when he felt like he was winning. 

“You’re not allowed to do that,” she muttered, pushing him away and scooting back to her side of the bed.

“Do what, love?”

“Do...that. Be like,  _ nice _ . And act like you like me.”

“I do like you. Fancy you, even,” Klaus said impatiently. “I told you that last night.”

“That wasn’t a dream?” she muttered, and Klaus scoffed.

“Do you wish it were?” he asked, sounding a bit exasperated, and she quickly turned to face him.

“I mean,  _ no _ ,” she said, trying to gather her thoughts, wondering why they couldn’t have this conversation when she was caffeinated. “And like, I’m not saying that I don’t reciprocate or whatever, but--”

She was interrupted by a loud crash on the bottom floor followed by someone hissing a stream of expletives, and she and Klaus exchanged a panicked look before Klaus put a finger to his lips to motion her to be quiet before grabbing his wand off the nightstand. She followed suit, despite his warning glance clearly indicating for her to stay where she was (she was a licensed auror, and if he thought he was fighting anyone alone when they were on a mission  _ together _ then he was a bigger idiot than she thought).

“Well, I guess I’ve announced myself,” Damon’s voice said from downstairs, the distinctive arrogant drawl making Caroline’s skin crawl. “Don’t bother trying to leave. I put apparition wards up around the property. If you’re wondering how I found you, I knew it from the second you asked about the newspaper article. You’re  _ aurors _ ...”

“Oh, excellent. A gloater,” Klaus muttered, reaching to grab his discarded jeans from beside the hamper and pulling them on. “You’ll have time to get dressed then, love. He’ll most likely go on about his evil plans for another minute or so. At least we know that he’s the one. Where are your cuffs?”

She huffed, throwing off the covers and clambering out of bed, bending over her suitcase to rifle through it, catching Klaus looking at her in the mirror. “Can you stop staring at my ass?” she muttered, finally finding the handcuffs. “It’s rude.”

“I was under the impression that you didn’t mind.”

She flushed. “That’s a conversation for later,” she muttered, stalking past him. “Come on. We have a bigot to arrest.”

She heard Klaus laugh behind her as they went down the stairs, Damon still shouting about all of the protections he put around the house, and Caroline took him out with a silent-cast stunning charm, nudging Damon’s body with her toe when he fell to the floor. “Idiot,” she muttered, bending down to snap the cuffs on his wrists. “Would you be willing to pack up while I take him to the ministry?”

“Trying to escape already?” Klaus asked, clearly going for a teasing tone, though she heard the edge of insecurity under it, and she shook her head, standing up.

“I meant what I said last night. Every word,” she said quietly.

“That you want me to prove to you that I’m not a ‘shit person’?” Klaus asked, his lips twitching.

“Yeah. And that I want to jump you,” Caroline said, savoring the look of pleased surprise on Klaus’s face as she grabbed Damon’s unconscious body by the handcuffs. “See you back at the ministry?”

“And afterwards, if you’d be willing. Perhaps you’ll be a bit more awake?”

Caroline grinned, getting ready to activate the portkey that would take her back the ministry. “Perhaps,” she teased, pressing the button.

 

**Four months later...**

 

Caroline woke up to light streaming through the window, her cheek pressed against her boyfriend’s chest. He was breathing deeply, but she knew he wasn’t asleep. She shifted to face him, smiling slightly when she caught his eye and cupping his cheek, leaning up to kiss him. “Morning,” she said, her voice gravelly.

“Morning, love. Hungry?”

“Mmhm,” she said, making a soft sound of discomfort when he disentangled himself, leaving her cold, and she watched as he left his bedroom, closing her eyes again when she heard the clink of the coffeepot in the kitchen. She let herself doze for a few more minutes before finally pushing herself out of bed, padding to the kitchen to see him filling a mug with a bit of tap water before filling it the rest of the way with coffee, handing it off to her with a yawn before pouring hot water over his teabag and bringing it to his lips.

It was such a normal thing at this point, Klaus’s eyes clearing a bit more with every sip as they sat in silence, enjoying their morning routine, and she abruptly realized that she wouldn’t mind doing this for awhile. Possibly for the rest of her life?

“I broke rule four,” she blurted out suddenly, her brain not caffeinated enough for a filter, and Klaus looked confused for a second before setting his mug down, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Me too, sweetheart.”


End file.
